


Merry and Bright

by Viscariafields



Series: Puppy Love [8]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Christmas, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Modern Thedas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:01:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28177326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Viscariafields/pseuds/Viscariafields
Summary: When Bethany finds out that Alistair is planning on spending his holiday in the dorms, she impulsively invites him home to stay with her family. When his uncle complains, she even more impulsively implies that she is his very serious girlfriend.Alistair, who has never experienced a normal Christmas with a loud family who actually likes him, is happy to go along with the plan.
Relationships: Alistair/Bethany Hawke
Series: Puppy Love [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1715638
Comments: 11
Kudos: 19





	Merry and Bright

Bethany did not like chemistry. It was a complete embarrassment. Her father was a PhD in chemistry, a respected professor, and Bethany could barely remember the chemical nomenclature for table salt. She should have majored in literature or history or _dance_ or something, but foolishly, she had decided on being a doctor, which meant biology, and biology required the basics of chemistry, and chemistry was impossible.

She stared at her textbook. Two elements, when in close proximity, formed chemical bonds and expelled heat, and Bethany was supposed to be able to mathematically predict exactly how many bonds and how much heat, and it was all nonsense.

In Bethany’s experience, when she put two things near each other, a whole lot of nothing happened. She was doing it right now. Her pencil hovered over her paper, and no answer at all was forthcoming.

When a book slammed onto the edge of her table, Bethany nearly shrieked in surprise.

“Sorry,” the book’s owner mumbled sheepishly, eyes darting around the library, “Sorry,” he whispered to Bethany. Then, “Hang on, I know you. I sit behind you in chemistry.”

The book that had startled her into snapping the tip of her pencil against her notebook was the very same that was ruining her day now.

“Are you as rubbish at it as I am?” she asked, wondering if this very tall, hunching boy had been sent by the Maker to tutor her into passing their final. The only exam left in the term, the last one before she could go home to her family and forget about chemistry for a while, and the one that would absolutely prevent her from ever being a doctor.

He ran a hand through his hair. 

“Maybe?” he hedged.

That was good enough for her. “Tell me how to do this problem?”

In the end, Alistair wasn’t as bad at chemistry as he claimed. Or he was giving her some truly rubbish advice that would sink her during tomorrow’s exam, but the conversation might have been worth it. His smile certainly felt worth it. He was nice. Funny. He didn’t make her feel stupid while pointing out each of her numerous mistakes. She hardly noticed the time passing until the library closed and they were shucked out into the cold, winter night.

And he was a gentleman, too, because he offered to walk her home. As he escorted her across the frosty grounds of their university campus, he said, “I should get your number. So you can tell me if you passed the exam or not. I’ll have to send you a present or something to make up for it if you fail.”

Bethany grinned. She liked the idea of Alistair having her number. “I think it’s me who owes you for all that free tutoring.”

“Figured I owed you something for scaring you half to death,” he replied. 

Before she could tell him her number, however, his phone rang in his hand. “Uncle?” he answered, his face falling. “Oh. Yes that’s… fine. No trouble at all.”

His voice was emotionless, but Alistair did not appear to be a great liar. He looked miserable when he hung up. “Is your family all right?” Bethany asked. She immediately kicked herself. That was prying.

Alistair put his phone in his pocket, his earlier goal forgotten. He glared in the direction of the physics building. “Oh, yeah. My uncle just wants me to stay in the dorms a few days longer before heading to his place.”

“But everyone will be cleared out.” Bethany frowned. “Do they even keep the heat on?”

Alistair shrugged. “Couple of thick blankets, an old laptop that overheats if I so much as look at the power button resting on my lap, I’ll be fine. It’s not the first time. My aunt says my room isn’t ready.”

“How can your room not be ready? Ready for what?”

He grimaced. “Well it isn’t actually my room. I don’t have one of those exactly… well, outside of school. I have one here, obviously. And it’s less about the room that’s not ready and more about the length of time she’s forced to withstand my presence. A week is a bit long.”

“Two weeks,” Bethany corrected him. The term break was two weeks.

“Ah, yeah,” he replied, one hand in his hair again, “One week for me, though. I… was going to come back early anyway.”

There was a lot he was not saying. Bethany rubbed her hands together against the chill night. Her chemistry may have not been the best, but her math was just fine. Alistair was planning on spending over a week in an unheated dorm over the holidays. Alone. 

“Come home with me,” she blurted out. At Alistair’s shocked expression, she clarified, “Not tonight, not here, I mean _home_ home. For the holidays. Tomorrow. My family has _lots_ of bedrooms that are always ready and, no, that’s a lie. We don’t have lots of bedrooms. But we have lots of beds.” Alistair wore a sort of stunned expression as she babbled, but Bethany pushed on anyway. “What I mean is my sister always brings home four friends or so and it’s chaotic and loud, but nobody should do Christmas in the dorms.” 

She almost cursed herself for her impulsivity, but rather than horrified or disgusted, Alistair seemed to be actually considering it. “I’ll have to tell my uncle,” he said, warming to the idea, “He will complain, but, Maker, the dorms are always so quiet. Drives me mad. Are you sure? We only just met. I could be… awful. A nightmare.”

Bethany doubted that. And there was no chance he was as awful as that aunt of his. Most importantly, Bethany was certain that nobody should feel like they weren’t wanted at Christmas. And anyway, if he was annoying, he’d fit right in with Lea’s friends. “I’m absolutely certain. Come stay with my family.”

Alistair grinned. “Well if you’re _absolutely_ certain, I’ll call him right now.” His smile soon faded as he got his uncle on the phone. “No, I—I understand she already ordered the food for Christmas supper but—is it really such a burden to have one fewer at the table? Yes, I know odd numbers make the table settings look awkward. Yes, I know it’s disrespectful. I’m sorry.”

His shoulders were all the way slumped now, and Bethany had half a mind to snatch the phone from him. As it turned out, she didn’t need to. “He wants to talk to you,” Alistair mumbled, and Bethany took the phone and a deep breath.

“Hi!” she said brightly, not letting the angry uncle begin whatever lecture he wanted to start, “My name is Bethany Hawke, and my family is _so_ looking forward to meeting Alistair. They’ve been bugging me to bring him home for months now, and I thought we’d settled it, but I suppose there was a miscommunication and he thought he was going to your house over Christmas, and we were all _so_ disappointed. Mother had already bought the Christmas ham and everything. But since his room isn’t ready, as we’ve just learned, I figured it was the perfect opportunity after all. I thank you so much for your understanding.”

She closed her eyes, fingers crossed at the stunned silence on the other end. “I didn’t realize Alistair had a serious girlfriend,” his uncle said slowly, “It sounds like we shall be expecting to meet you as well. Soon.”

Ah. Bethany hadn’t considered that possibility. Her heart sank as she learned they were located in Redcliffe, which really wasn’t much of a drive from her suburb of Lothering. Well there was no way she was going to be able to keep up the façade if he was intent on meeting her. She passed the phone back to a stupefied Alistair, who fended off some vague demands and hung up.

“So—” he started.

“I’m so sorry,” Bethany babbled, “I don’t know what I was thinking. I never do things like that. I mean what I was thinking was that I would get you out of having to tell your uncle you’d rather spend Christmas with a complete stranger than with him, but I should have left that up to you, and Maker’s breath, just tell him we broke up or that I’m just a crazy person you don’t even know who can’t even calculate equilibrium reliably—”

But Alistair was laughing. “I think you’ve just done me the biggest favor anyone ever has.”

That was… the saddest thing Bethany had ever heard.

“And if you’ll still have me at your house,” he said, “I can probably get you out of dinner with my uncle. Tell them you were sick or… I can leave the lying up to the expert,” he finished with a smirk. 

“I’m really not—I don’t lie often. It’s not a… not a habit of mine.”

“I know,” he replied cheerily, “I would never seriously date a liar, much less bring her home to meet my family.”

“Maker’s breath,” she muttered while he chuckled. She stared awkwardly at her feet for a moment, then plunged on ahead. “Then meet me after the exam tomorrow with your things, unless you change your mind. And you can! I won’t be upset if you decide not to come.”

They exchanged numbers and a very awkward goodbye. _I’m never going to see that boy again_ , Bethany thought glumly to herself. She had no idea what had gotten into her. He’d be _mad_ to go to her family’s for Christmas now.


End file.
